Obligated

09.04.11

Ezekiel 22.30,31 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.” NIV

Our lives are to be an offering to the Lord; to that we are called. And the offering is not a one-time deal; it’s a daily offering of me to Him so that He, through me, can accomplish what He desires in my life and the lives of those around me.

Like most folks, I fill my days with my work and then fill my days off with me, doing stuff around the house, visiting with friends, going to church, and attending to the things I like to do. The grievance of the Lord throughout the prophetic writings is that His people had forsaken the Sabbaths; they filled all their days with their vocation and their days off with themselves. As long as their days off had a somewhat religious appearance to them I think they felt okay about it. But I think they fell short in giving God their time and attention. The obligation to do so became too much. And maybe that’s why their hearts wandered – they just felt obligated.

The problem is when we feel obligated then our relationships are not celebrated. Come visit me once and we’ll roll out the red-carpet (at least as far as that means to us…); but come and visit often and soon the carpet will be left rolled up, the dishes in the sink will be left piled up, and the dust will cover up the nooks and crannies of our home. Not that we don’t like you – it’s just that we don’t put on our Sunday-best all the time, and in time, you’ll see that our Sunday-best is reserved for special occasions.

The Sabbaths were to be a time of attending to God and sharing life with Him. God completely understands our work and our need to “make a living”; He’s completely fine with that. But it seems He wants us to be more than machinery parked in the garage. God is a real Person who has chosen to have real relationship with real people – people like you and me. All He’s asking for is our time and a place in our hearts. But the answer to that is: me giving Him that time and place just like I would for a friend – not out of obligation but celebration. It seems God’s invitation is simply: come celebrate your life with Me at some scheduled point in your busy schedule each week – you’ll be miraculously transformed when you do!

God told Ezekiel: “So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.” Looking at the reasons as to why this happened, I can only conclude that they filled their lives with too much of themselves, and left too little for God. So, when the consequences of that came to a head, the result was there was no one left to stand up and fight against what they were facing. Society and culture had eaten them alive and they didn’t even know it…

What would happen if we chose to make time for God and quit using our free-time as just me-time? I know I must repent and regularly, faithfully open up my life for the Almighty. I must schedule it, stand in the gap, and celebrate it because at the end of the day, and at the end of my life, He’s all I’ve got.